Musings: LI, here's a bright idea that has no ceiling

Traveling on the Long Island Expressway the other day, from Exits 68 to 51, I could not help but notice the thousands of square feet of flat-topped commercial buildings. And why, as an average homeowner and Long Island native, would that interest me? Because of the push for solar farms and wind energy on our fields and in our waters.

There is no need to impede upon fishing grounds, possibly endangering aquatic life and maybe affecting migration routes of both marine animals and birds. There are abundant opportunities on Long Island to put solar panels on warehouses, schools, shopping malls, strip malls, and hospitals.

Why not require all new buildings to have solar?

The Washington administration wants to bring manufacturing back to America. So let’s start making our own solar panels and systems. The wind turbines’ concrete platforms and sea floor mats could be damaging ocean bottoms and destroying habitat. The Long Island Association wants to create jobs and build profits, maintaining the amazing Long Island attributes we have always prided ourselves on.

In Hawaii, for example, the smallest homes to the biggest box stores are required to install solar panels. Legislation was passed for all new residential construction to include photovoltaic cells and electric vehicle-ready connections by January 2026. The cost for permits, inspections and project management are lower in new construction. And all new homes must also have a solar water heater.

Currently, 43% of all Hawaiian homes have rooftop solar. This number has been increasing as the cost of electricity rises. The process for solar permits has been simplified to allow for easy implementation.

This does not seem to be a difficult concept to embrace or a monumental hurdle to overcome. The multitude of building requirements all began for specific reasons — ones that seem to be good enough to implement here on Long Island, too.

— Nancy Rymer, Shoreham